


The Right Partner

by eleanoriguess



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Choices, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, F/M, s2 AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-07-01 13:39:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15775206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eleanoriguess/pseuds/eleanoriguess
Summary: Season 2 AU where Steve is alive and in love with Peggy. Who does Peggy think is her right partner when she actually has a choice?





	1. Dry Heat and Fresh Starts.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys,  
> This is my first time writing for AO3, hope Y'all love it; comments are definitely welcome :)  
> Basically set at the beginning of Season 2, and vaguely follows the relationship buildup of Peggy and Daniel over the season, with the added dynamic of Steve. This is set in Episode 1, 'The Lady in the Lake'.

She knew she would never get used to this. Its been two years and she still can’t believe she gets to wake up next to him every morning. Watching the sun, filtering in through the curtains, dance along his back, Peggy propped herself up and flicks off the alarm. She shivered, despite the warm morning, and detached herself from Steve’s arm, curled around her protectively. He shifted gently, grumbling slightly at the sudden breeze hitting his slide.

‘Urhhh Peg why’d you do…’

He trailed off, obviously getting accustomed to the change in temperature, and she smiled. After all, he really was just plain adorable when he was tired. Planting a kiss on his cheek, she wonders off into the bathroom to get changed for work. The pale blue blouse she eventually settled on, was just one of many outfits they had chosen together for her new job in LA, with the dry heat and ridiculous palm trees, as a senior agent in the new West Coast SSR office. After turning down many film-offers from various interesting enough directors with interesting enough scripts to keep them rooted in New York, the LA office had put out a request for backup. Almost as if he could read her mind, Howard Stark sent over a proposal to Steve for a Western he was filming. Peggy conceded silently that maybe this would be a good change, it would let them get away from their previous misadventures just a few years earlier. They had quickly packed up their few possessions and left the flat in the hands of Angie, before heading onto a flight across the country and into this beautiful hotel.

She was happy for Steve, but as 9 o’clock drew closer, her mind filled with images of new Chief Sousa being the same as the others, mocking and patronising, the new power filling his head and the new scenery making him a bit crazy. As quickly as these preposterous, as she told herself, ideas came, she pushed them to the back of her mind. Daniel wouldn’t think those things, he had too much respect for any woman he met, she told herself forcefully.

8:45. She gulped, suddenly conscious of the sweat beading on her forehead. Wordlessly, she planted another kiss on her face of her boyfriend and walked out the door, resolute as ever, before he woke fully. Bully to Howard for not starting filming until after lunch each day.

  

* * *

 

 

‘Everything is through the first door on the right’

 

Eyes scanning for the door, Peggy was acutely aware of the warmth of the day on her back, and the clicking of her heels on the tiled stairs. Turning sharply, she slowed her breathing as she reached the door. When she was certain she didn’t look nervous, she rounded the corner. As she walked further into the bullpen, her eyes fixed quickly on the back turned to her, bent awkwardly over a case file. She could already feel the anxiety creeping through her veins and quickly, she made a decision.

‘Hello…’

The figure jumped slightly, barely detectable had she not been staring at him, and all of a sudden, she was face to face with Daniel Sousa. He looks surprised, or scared, or confused, she couldn’t quite place what, and plasters a grin across her face.

‘…Chief.’

Slightly regaining his composure, Daniel looks questioningly at her.

‘What are you doing here?’

Peggy’s heart falls from her chest and into shoes. In an obviously dismayed tone, she queries,

‘You’ve solved it already?’

Watching his gears turn was fascinating, and Peggy studied his face. Finally, the puzzle pieces fell into place in his head, and she let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. It was amusing to watch him backtrack, to finally take control of the situation.

‘No, no, no I – I was expecting….’

‘You didn’t put the request in’

‘No, I did’

‘Just not for me’

‘I – I just wasn’t expecting you till tomorrow’

He sighed, grateful he figured out a cover for his confusion. He truly did not expect this woman, Peggy Carter, to surprise him across the country like that, but there was no reason she needed to know that. He knew they just needed to get on with work.

‘Welcome to Los Angeles’

Peggy felt a spark in his hand when she shook it. Must be the static of this jacket, she mused. She too knew that no matter what once was felt between them needed to be pushed aside, and work must be completed. If there ever was anything between them at all, she silently added, picturing Steve at home, probably still in bed. She also knew that today she would miss him like mad; it had been 5 years since she had worked for the SSR without him.

  

* * *

 

 

She practically fell onto the bed at the end of the day, breathing heavily. Steve chuckled gently at the sight of his best girl exhausted after a busy day at work, while he lounged inelegantly in a robe.

Recounting her first adventures, Peggy smiled as his eyes lit up at every detail of the Jane Doe – turned – shards of something very cold, and she knew it killed him to have not been there, but now he was an actor. They both had to grin and bear it and get on with their lives. As if on cue, Steve suddenly interrupts her:

‘Let’s buy a house!’


	2. Home is where the heart is.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steggy goes House hunting, but not everything is smooth sailing for Peg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, me again!   
> Hope everyone liked the first chapter, this one is entirely Steggy, but I promise next chapter will have Daniel again :)  
> Once again, comments are welcome, thanks guys xoxo

It was the red of the roof that stood out to Peggy first. It was ever-so-slightly lighter than all the others in that street, and it gave her the sense that it was newer, maybe just for them. Next, her eyes fell o the lawn. She felt she had never seen anything so green until finally, the bold door caught her gaze. As if compelled, she wandered down the hopscotch path, adorned on both sides by miniature, palm-like plants, and stopped at the step.

“The House was recently refurbished by the old owners, as you can see by the roofing and brickwork. They really want a quick sale, so they gave the place a little more than a once over outside”

The realtor chatted over, answering every one of Steve’s millions of questions. He really was being ever so thorough, but the gutters and land permits struggled to hold Peggy’s interest. She broke away from his side and inspected the flower beds, boasting two pink and one yellow rose bush, all in full bloom. It was an awful shame to admit but neither she nor Steve knew how to tend to a garden, and it seemed a given that the garden would fail as quickly as it blooms. Peggy wondered if she should hire a gardener.

 

To Peg, the inside of the house was just as perfect as the outside, the soft creamy carpet sinking under her low heels, and the stairs cushioning Steve’s every step in his bulky army boots. She knew how much those boots meant to him, and honestly, he did look rather dashing in his military getup, but lord are they loud. She could always hear him coming as he walked down the hallway to their hotel room, but now she won’t be able to hear him marching through their house

Even though she was thinking to herself, the idea of ‘their house’ stuck in her throat. Before she had even seen the rooms, she knew this was the house she wanted to live in.

 

Stepping in from the hallway into the living room, she focused on the crooked bookcase, packed with aged volumes covering every topic, medicine, architecture, history, she was fascinated by it all, and questioned who must have lived there before. The kitchen, she noticed, was rather small, but the full AGA range, boasting a violent shade of red, held her there a moment longer than a glance.

Peggy continued to follow Steve’s pad, pad, pad around the surprisingly insulated house, only falling more and more in love the more they explored. It seemed to her that Steve was feeling the same way as her, in his own cautious and questioning manner.

 

The last room they visited was the upstairs bathroom, and as soon as she entered, any doubt Peggy harboured about her future vanished. The room featured a large bath, with statement dragon feet holding it up, and on the wall, a smattering of titles sported crudely painted hearts.

“Of course, the owners didn’t fix every part of the interior when they put it up for sale but…”

The realtor’s voice carried in the acoustically gifted room, but Peggy’s mind was elsewhere. All she could think was ‘home is where the heart is’. It seemed very apt for them in this petit corner of the residence, that they found their hearts. She wasn’t normally one for superstition, but this was undoubtedly a sign if ever she saw one.

Suddenly Peg’s reverie was broken by a crisp laugh from her lover.

“Oh, don’t worry, retiling that wall won’t cost much.”

Her eyes lifted and her mind sharpened, taking a moment to fully process what was said.

Steve hated the décor that made her fall in love. Of course, he wasn’t a sap, and neither was she, but she could hardly believe he felt that way about something she so clearly had a connection with.

“But Steve, darling, why would you want to retile this? I can’t say any other house we have visited has had as much personality than we can plainly see in this one bathroom!”

A little taken aback, Steve was shocked, hearing such impassioned words coming from the lips of such a strong and brave-faced woman as his Margaret, but there it was, it had happened.

“Peg, what are you talking about? It’s not a smart look, what if we have guest over?”

“Then they tell us how much character our house has, and how charming.”

 

Steve saw this was not a battle he should like to participate in, whether or not he won it, and so he let it pass for the moment, but to Peggy, this felt like a bullet wound.

Their first proper disagreement, and over something so obviously benign, but simultaneously excruciatingly important to her. This red flag made Peggy, or at least the part of her that was Agent Carter, realise that not everything in this little house was completely coming up roses, but she smiled. A brave face never hurt anyone.

Linking arms with Steve, they wandered off to inspect the garage.


	3. Maybe another time?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> End of Season 2 Episode 1, but with feelings.

Peggy wasn’t sure how long it would take her heart to slow after seeing the Detective shatter into a million pieces. She could feel her heart beating in her chest as she joined Daniel in the car to go back to the station. Of course, it's not like she hadn’t seen it before, she saw the lab tech’s body on the floor, the black shards on white tiling still haunting her mind. It's not like it was her first adventure in a while, just the other week she had taken down Dottie Underwood for goodness sake! She why was she so shaken up?

Her heart knew the answer, she just couldn’t admit it to herself. It was because she was with Daniel. A friend she thought she had lost for good when he took the post in LA, shortly after she was too busy to get a drink with him. She still felt wretcheded about that day, but she truly had been busy; she and Steve were going to see a house that Howard wanted to give them. Maybe that was why she felt bad. She was with Steve instead of him. She and Daniel had always been close, and that moment felt like the band-aid ripping of their misshapen relationship, revealing that actually they didn’t and couldn’t have one. But, she thought, sitting her next to him as he drives, it felt comfortable, easy, not the way it should feel to two people in a non-relationship, even if it was purely platonic. Even after all those missed calls.

 

They drove in blissful silence until they reached the Auerbach Theatrical Agency. Peggy reminded herself silently not to walk at her usual lightning pace, so she could match pace with Daniel. She wanted to be able to talk to him now, to get to know what he’s been doing in her absence.

When they reached the stairs, she turned to him and asked

‘is it always this exciting in LA?’

He laughed gently, and she was glad to hear it.

‘not in the slightest, this is the first major situation we have come across in three months, that’s why I asked Jack for reinforcements.’

It was her turn to chuckle, secretly glad that she hadn’t missed anything fun with her friend, but more simply grateful to be enjoying light-hearted conversation with him once more.

 

* * *

 

 

They could see no one else was in the office with the low lights and echoing footsteps, so Daniel relished in his chance to continue the conversation.

‘I’m not sure whether you follow the adventure, or the adventure follows you.’

He certainly didn’t expect this case to be quite as exciting as it had become.

‘Who do you think killed Jane Scott?’

 

Half-heartedly, he allowed Peggy to turn the conversation back to the proper focus, discussing the scientist, the body, the Detective. A few more comments and Peg wraps it up.

‘Was quite a night…’

She laughed softly, breathes, and continues,

‘I could do with a drink. How about you?’

He knew immediately what she was trying to do. Unfortunately, he also knew exactly what he was about to be forced to do back to her.

‘I can’t tonight’

He replied shyly, slowly, head down awkwardly.

‘Maybe another time?’

He knew his remark was hopeless, he saw Peggy’s crestfallen expression.

‘Yes, of course.’

She turned without missing a beat in her naturally cheery manner,

‘I forgot my jacket, go on without me’

‘Oh, night’

‘Night’

And with that, Daniel Sousa walked away.

 

* * *

 

 

Peggy watched, baffled as to not only why he declined, but to also why she asked him in the first place. Her neck was damp, the first indicator in her subtle shift in emotion, the second being the tenderness in the way she shifted open the blinds to watch him leave. And apparently, hobble straight into the arms of some blonde.

Her voice caught in her throat as she gasped, creating a ghastly, hollow sound, followed swiftly by a hoarse splutter. Peggy was overwhelmingly grateful no one heard it, or she would never hear the end of it. Least of all from herself.

 

All the way home Peggy ran the day over and over in her head, check marks against all the times they laughed, he smiled, he brushed her arm. Each check-in her invisible table lead to a harsh berating from her logical side. It felt like she was arguing with herself. Jekyll and Hyde? Peggy and Agent Carter. But what side was Agent Carter on?

‘Why are you doing this? You don’t love him.’

‘Think about Steve.’

‘Daniel has a girlfriend. You never loved him. She loves him.’

‘He’s your boss.’

‘You have Steve. You love Steve.’

‘Daniel’

She couldn’t push his face from her brain and it frustrated her. Even walking into the hotel up the stairs, her thoughts were restless, her mind wouldn’t stop. She could even hear the whirring in her headache. She needed a drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's chapter 3.   
> Hope y'all still stan, and sorry for the awkward time skip :/  
> Thanks for reading, comments are always loved xox


	4. So you two have met?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How did Peggy and Violet end up eating cookies together at the beginning of episode 2?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the wait. This is the longest chapter so far for some reason, so it took me a long time to write. Unfortunately, I go back to school tomorrow so it will be harder for me to carry this on, but don't worry, I'm not going to quit on y'all! :)  
> Hope y'all love this chapter xox

A couple of days had passed.  
Peggy was awake early again, still not used to the natural sunlight that poured through the cheap curtains; she couldn’t wait to move to her little green house, where she can install thick blinds and get a proper night’s sleep. All these feelings before 6 am forced Peggy fully awake, and so she climbed out of bed lazily. With three hours to fill, she moved gently, softly, quietly. Her Steve slept hungrily, moving and breathing, filling her brain with him as she prepared to leave him. In the tangle of Monday, Daniel, Peggy let herself romanticize the sleeping man into her soulmate in those silent hours.   
She was ready to leave at 8 am, and already angry at herself for the poetic haze to her thoughts, she decided to go in early, get a head start in reviewing the case files.   
The sun rose as she strolled the clear streets across town, every so often a new shard of sunlight bouncing from her sunglasses. With only a couple streets left, Peggy realised she had forgotten to eat back at the hotel, merely drinking her coffee to the newspaper leisurely. Her stomach rumbled in agreement with her thoughts. 

At the same time, Violet was walking in the other direction, a parcel of fresh cookies neatly wrapped under her arm. Daniel mentioned more staff in the office during one of their brief discussions of their days at work. They would never breach confidentiality with both of their jobs being so important, and so these discussions could never last long or have any substance, but how else were a couple to bond if not with a way to lightly discuss their day. This lead to all details being spared when Violet lightly made sure Daniel knew that a colleague had made a mistake, or when he told her that the office was busier than usual. There had also been a passing mention the night before of him arriving early, with so much to do on this new case, and so she quickened her pace from an amble to a strong walk boasting strides too long for her petite figure.   
Rounding the last corner, Violet spots a tall woman approach the door, and she prays they aren’t someone who shouldn’t be there. She herself shouldn’t necessarily be there and it would be so awkward. She scanned the floor, the smooth pave stones making her feel safe as she shifted the parcel to the other arm, holding it by the string next to her purse. Unfortunately, her distraction would be her downfall, as she walked straight into the tall woman as she was unlocking the door to the Auerbach Theatrical Agency. 

Peggy toppled, hand to the doorframe in a flash to prevent herself becoming an utter spectacle to whoever may be there. Turning, half expecting to see Rose, tutting her for being so early instead of being at home making kissy noises at Steve, she laid her eyes on a small blond woman with a streaming package, looking scared for her life: The white smock and hat indicated to Peggy this was no agent, nor secretary, nor performer. She was a nurse. What on earth was she doing at 8:35 in the morning at a government building, let alone one disguised as a talent agency. Something about her seemed mildly familiar but she had no luck placing her face in the few seconds before she spoke  
‘Hello, I’m Peggy Carter, can I help you?’  
The cheery voice that responded turned her stomach at such an early hour.  
‘Peggy? Oh hullo! I’ve been dying to meet you, Daniel’s told me so much about you!’  
In that instant the night earlier, that week returned to her mind. Daniel walking away with that blond. This blond. It felt like the jigsaw in her brain of this event, this interaction just filled in a couple more pieces but there was still so much missing.   
‘And you are?’  
Peggy still needed a name for this mystery femme fatale who has stolen her friend’s heart.   
‘Oh, I’m so sorry, I’m Violet!’  
Peggy’s mother had always spoken ill of children named after flowers, calling them spoilt, vain, stupid mothers, but Peggy had never met a woman named after a flower. And she could see no such fault in this suddenly gorgeous companion of Daniel. She supposed they were almost certainly more than friends, and for some reason knowing this fact made her almost angry. This sudden feeling, connection to this stranger draw her to embarrassment as her brief anger subsided, her feelings changing like seconds on a clock. It wasn’t about feeling inferior to this woman, she never wanted Daniel to think of her as a ‘woman on a pedestal’ as he had once attacked her with, no matter whether he did or not. It was simply the idea that these two, Peggy and Violet, had not known each other mere minutes ago but now shared a bond over a man Peggy was certain she couldn’t claim to ‘bond’ over in any sense of the word. Daniel was just a friend. Right? This connection, no matter how stretched or insignificant it was, it was without a doubt there, visible in the smile running in Violets eyes.   
There was an awkward pause while all this ran laps in Peggy’s head, so when she came back to reality, her reply was hurried, as if trying to make up for lost time.  
‘Violet. What a pretty name, hello.’  
She had no idea what to say next, but she was blessed by the insight of Violet, who carried on for her.  
‘I’ve brought some biscuits for the office, Daniel mentioned that there were more people there right now, on this case that is.’  
Peggy blushed as her body caught up with her ears and her belly rumbled right on cue. They shared a smile before she had the courage to speak again. Why was she so shy?   
‘I think, now, that’s maybe just me.’  
Unused to being so timid, she didn’t know how to act, and tried to finish with a grin, but it appeared as more a grimace, so stopped immediately, The surprisingly bold woman in front of her laughed.  
‘Oh well, you must try them then!’  
It was a strange, revolutionary moment for Peggy, if she did not trust the girl before she certainly did now. Her tone and emphatic grin reminded her of Mrs. Jarvis, someone who she trusted very greatly.   
‘Well then, you must come in! It’s very early still, I’m the first here so…’  
She trailed off, not sure what to say next, how to respond to her newfound confidence. Violet beat her to it.  
‘Oh, that’s so kind, I will stop in for bit, thank you.’  
Ushering her in, Peggy realised suddenly that she could not permit Violet any further than the reception, who could say how much Daniel had told her? For all she knew, Daniel might genuinely be the Jewish Director of a talent agency. Panic flushed her silently as she watched Violet look around expectantly for a door or corridor leading to an office, but all she could see was a reception and an array of filing cabinets. Before she could do anything else, Peggy spoke with a voice so commanding she didn’t know she had it in her.  
‘Please, take a seat here, I’m sure Daniel will be along soon. He’s never late. Ever.’  
They shared a knowing smile; their Daniel was ever so punctual.   
Their Daniel?  
Sitting down next to the desk, Violet unwrapped the cookies. Peggy grabbed a plate out of Rose’s desk and soon they were eating. Peggy couldn’t deny they were the best cookies she’d had in years, Violet was one hell of a baker. Daniel was lucky.   
They chatted amicably about everything they could think of for the twenty minutes afforded to them. Peggy learnt so much about Violet, but there wasn’t much Peggy could tell her that Daniel hadn’t already, except for the fact her mother’s parents might have known Violets grandfather, coming from the same town as they were. Apparently to Violet this kinship was massive, and also apparently to Violet, Daniel never stopped talking about her recently. This comforted her in a weird way she hadn’t known before. It felt like no time at all when Daniel and Rose walked in. They were both laughing happily, like old friends, and Violet carried the conversation with elation to her beau when he stepped in.  
‘There he is. I’ve got to start my shift.’  
Peggy had barely noticed, but of course, it was 9 am, she had to go. What a shame she mused, Violet was actually very fun.   
Daniel was surprised at their meeting. Of course, he would be, he had obviously no intention of telling Peggy of Violet's existence.   
‘Ah’  
They chuckled further at his confusion, but Violet carried on quickly,  
‘I dropped off cookies, Peggy’s already had three’  
‘It was the best meal I’ve had since arriving in Los Angeles.’  
No word of a lie.   
Daniels eyes conveyed his silent worry as he finally formed words.  
‘So…you two have met?’  
‘Would you believe my grandfather is from her hometown? She’s practically family.’  
Now it was Rose’s turn.  
‘It’s a small world isn’t it Chief Sousa?’  
‘Yeah, tiny’  
Violets enthusiasm overtook her desire for her work and carried on talking,  
‘But I do want to show you around Peggy, we’ll hit all the tourist traps, actually, what are you doing tonight?’  
She was talking a mile a minute and Peggy felt this next bit may be slightly uncomfortable for everyone, but she let the excited nurse continue,  
‘Do you want to join us for dancing? You can bring Steve!’  
Exactly as she had feared. A double date. How could she ever get out of this one?   
‘Oh, no, I don’t think that – ‘  
‘Its right on the beach! You can’t come to LA and not dance by the beach!’  
And with that, Peggy was apparently signed up. The discomfort in the room was elevating with every word, Daniel obviously tense at this situation, not least Violets hurry to leave but desire to chat for eternity, Peggy hated that she was grateful when she finally scurried out of the door.   
Dancing. Steve promised her that before the war, but somehow, they never followed through on it. She pondered to herself as she walked upstairs to do her job, how awful could it actually be?


End file.
